To Thomas Jefferson July 8, 1808

To Thomas Jefferson July 8, 1808

DEAR SIR:

On the 21st of January I presented a Memorial to Congress and after
waiting a considerable time and hearing nothing of it, I wrote to George
Clinton junior who presented the Memorial to Congress desiring some
information of it. In his answers of March 19 he says, "I am desired by
Mr. Holmes chairman of the Committee of Claims to inform you that the
business of the Memorial is progressing and that as soon as they received
certain information from the President and Vice President a report would
be made." (1) No report however has been made, and I write this letter to
request you to inform Mr. Holmes or the Committee of Claims have made any
application to you on this subject.

I now pass on from this disagreeable affair to what I like much
better-Public Affairs. The British ministry have outschemed themselves. It
is not difficult to see what the motive and object of that Ministry were
in issuing the Orders of Council. They expected those orders would giving
permission to such cargoes as they did not want for themselves to depart
for the Continent Europe to raise a revenue out of those countries and
America. But instead of this they have lost the revenue they used to
receive from American imports, and instead of gaining all the commerce
they have lost it all.

This being the case with the British Ministry it is natural to suppose
they would be glad to tread back their steps, if they could do it without
too much exposing their ignorance and obstinacy. The Embargo law empowers
the President to suspend its operation whenever he shall be satisfied that
our ships can pass in safety. It therefore includes the idea of empowering
him to use means for arriving at that event. Suppose the President were to
authorize Mr. Pinckney to propose to the British Ministry that the United
States would negotiate with France for rescinding the Milan Decree, on
condition the English Ministry would rescind their Orders of Council; and
in that case the United States would recall their Embargo. France and
England stand now at such a distance that neither can propose anything to
the other, neither are there any neutral powers to act as mediators. The
United States is the only power that can act.

Perhaps the British Ministry if they listen to the proposal will want to
add to it the Berlin decree, which excludes English commerce from the
continent of Europe; but this we have nothing to do with, neither has it
anything to do with the Embargo. The British Orders of Council and the
Milan decree are parallel cases, and the cause of the Embargo.

Yours in friendship,

THOMAS PAINE.

The Committee of Claims submitted its report on Paine's memorial on
February 1, 1809. It rejected Paine's request for compensation on the
grounds that his memorial had been "unaccompanied with any evidence in
support of the statement of facts"; that the Journals of Congress revealed
no evidence that Paine "was in any manner connected with the mission of
Colonel Laurens," and that while Paine did accompany Colonel Laurens on
his mission, it did "not appear that he was employed by the Government, or
even solicited by any officer thereof to aid in the accomplishment of the
mission with which Colonel Laurens was intrusted, or that he took any part
whatever, after his arrival in France, in forwarding the negotiation." The
Committee, however, added: "That Mr. Paine rendered great and eminent
services to the United States, during their struggle for liberty and
independence, cannot be doubted by any person acquainted with his labors
in the cause, and attached to the principles of the contest. Whether he
has been generously requited by his country for his meritorious exertions,
is a question not submitted to your Committee, or within their province to
decide." Annals of Congress, 10th Congress, Second Session, 1808-1809, pp.
1780-1781.-Editor.